Progress is Progress

There are a lot of Facebook memes out there about eating. Overeating. Under eating, Celebratory eating. Healthy eating. I don't care anymore eating..... You get the idea. My reaction to them depends on my mood. Sometimes the motivational ones really tell me what I need to hear that day. Other times, I roll my eyes at them and just keep scrolling. Today, I was looking through a few of them. There is a lot of truth in them.....when put into context. I think what gets me irritated is the context or presentation of them. It feels like they are screaming at me and seem so absolute. I'm more of a moderation girl. I don't really need someone to dogmatically tell me how to do something. I'm a grown up, not a teenager. The other thing that annoys me is that they are usually one quick sentence. I'm sure this is because we live in a world where most people need to be reached within a few words, because most won't take the time to read it.

One that resonated with me today was the one that told me not to give up on a goal just because of how long it takes to reach it. This was followed by the one that tells me that slow progress is still progress. I like these. These always apply. One of the biggest feelings of defeat is when you have a "target date" arrive and you're not even close to where you wanted to be, because you got tired of trying and quit. Even if you were halfway to where you wanted to be, it would feel better than it feels to be nowhere close. You can't help but question yourself - where would I be if I had just stayed the course. The same general principle applies to slow progress. If you only lose half a pound a week, that equals 25 pounds over the course of a year. That sure seems painfully slow, given the instant gratification world we live in. BUT.....if you have weight to lose and a year from now you're the same weight.....won't you wonder what it would feel like to be 25 pounds lighter at that moment?

Will Rogers has a famous quote, "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." I like this one, too. Plans usually fail due to lack of adherence - which is usually a result of a short attention span. If you look at patterns of people who are successful, you will find that they are consistent. They consistently work towards their goals. They don't take over the world in twelve weeks. They have a plan. They save. They adjust when necessary. They don't give up.

Are you wanting to take control of your health or weight but don't know how to start with everything else you have going on? Do you feel like you're in the middle of the spin cycle?? If you're feeling overwhelmed and not sure where to start, ask for help. If weight loss was easy, we wouldn't live in a country where three out of four people are overweight. Having a sustainable plan will help you begin to feel in control again. The graph of progress will undoubtedly show a very crooked line, because we are all very flawed. Progress IS progress, however.

Feeling successful in one area of your life will likely lead you to having the confidence you need to be successful in other areas of your life. I will close this with another Facebook meme that I actually like. "I'm not saying it will be easy, but I am saying it will be worth it."